Into the Summer Smoke
by emyy250
Summary: Based on Markiplier's playthrough of Firewatch, also spoilers for Firewatch. Montehue x Tersly with Montehue x Scarlet on the side. It'll make sense, trust me. Montehue becomes a firewatch after he hits a bad patch. DISCONTINUED. SORRY
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

Third Person

You see Scarlet. She's your about age. Late 20's, laughing with nicely dressed professors and grad students. You, Montehue, are drinking with your pals. You approach her.

You are drunk, "You… You're pretty."

"YOU'RE pretty." She says coolly. You are not. You are a future hangover.

"What?" You reply, confused.

"Someone should buy you a cheeseburger." She says and flags down a waiter and one week later, you're Scarlet's boyfriend.

You date for over a year. She drives you absolutely nuts. It's great. You move in. You share an apartment near the school with a view. You two drink beers out on the deck. You drink beer just about anywhere. Life is good.

* * *

Scarlet wants to get a dog. There's a scruffy, undersized Beagle. Scarlet is in love. She wants to take it to class with her. There's also an intimidating, but gentle-eyed German Shepard. Nothing bad could happen to Scarlet while with this dog. It's bad ass. You adopt the German Shepard and name him Fenris.

Fenris is an excellent dog. He loves wrestling with you in the park and goes with Scarlet on her runs. Even though he's too big to bring to school, Scarlet loves him all the same. Fenris is a friend, child, and pet all rolled into one.

* * *

You talk out on the deck. It's summer. 9:30pm and the heat from earlier still radiates off of the building.

"What do you think about kids?" She asks.

"Kids…? They're not very smart. Or good at much."

"I'm saying if you and I have some. A couple of little idiots."

"That would be pretty good."

"In that case, we should probably get married."

"Yeah, I would like that." You say.

"These kids are going to be screwed up enough. It's probably for the best if their parents are hitched."

You say she's absolutely right.

* * *

It's a Thursday night and Scarlet is four hours late. She doesn't call. You're worried and getting angrier by the minute. She walks in after you've gone to bed. She's not quiet drunk, but she's clearly been having a good time. You fight when she gets in between the sheets. You ignore her.

You don't touch each other all night. The next day, you feel guilty for being so angry and ask her about her evening. She says it was great. You hold onto a tiny pill of resentment. You make some coffee and go to work.

* * *

Scarlet still likes to draw. She draws artifacts for her research. She draws all the places you go. She draws you. You frolic like a Victoria's Secret model. Scarlet was right; you are very pretty.

* * *

During the summers, you and Scarlet enjoy walking Fenris at night. There's a festival in town. It brings in folks from faraway places. One of them tries to mug you with a knife. Fenris runs away.

"Fenru-fa-fi-FUCK-d..d-dog!" Scarlet yells. She gets flustered and has trouble speaking when she's stressed.

You confront the attacker. You scare him away. You reach into your pocket like you've got a gun and threaten to kill him. You manage to scare all three of you. He runs away. Scarlet asks to take a different path from that day forward. You say okay. You don't want to go that way either. From then on, you walk by the river.

* * *

Plans to have kids get waylaid by work. Scarlet gets offered a job at the Huntik Foundation. The Huntik Foundation is in New York. It's a great job, associate department chair. She wants to move. You absolutely do not. You ask if she'll commute back and forth. You don't want to move to New York. She says it'll be hard, but she'll do it if you won't move. You tell her not to pass it up if that's what she wants. She agrees. She flies back home three times each six months.

* * *

Scarlet is sent home from the Foundation on paid leave after having "an episode". She lost it on a colleague for borrowing books that were important to her research. She didn't remember she had happily loaned them to him just two days prior. She was found crying in the stairwell. You say you guys should talk to someone about it.

After seeing multiple doctors and having many tests, they are worried that Scarlet might be suffering from early onset dementia. She is 38. You both decide to keep it a secret for now.

* * *

Fenris is getting older. He's got sliver hair down his back and slows down at night. You and Scarlett walk him to the bar to see your friends and it feels like nothing has changed. Scarlett goes back to the Foundation.

* * *

Scarlet's affliction gets worse. She can't remember things in meetings. Her research is in shambles. She drives her car to the next town over, for no particular reason, and has to be brought home by the police. She is devastated. She is sent home on permanent medical leave.

Some days, you get the Scarlet who calls you a dope and your unborn children little idiots. Other days, you get a stranger.

She pulls you into bed to make love. After five minutes, she goes into a panic, believing her dad is at the door. You tell her family. They are crushed and begin to make trips to and from Ireland to visit her. For a while, your friends come by with little things to brighten the day. She gets worse.

* * *

You spend your days following Scarlet around the house. You count the seconds between the two weekly visits from Daniel, the nurse. He suggests that Scarlet could live somewhere else. Somewhere with 24-hour care. A home. It sits with you for a couple months. You are determined to take of her yourself.

It is impossibly hard. The worst is when you get mad at her, like when she tries to cook her own food. You can't do anything without her and she can't do anything without you. When she goes to sleep, you stay up for a few hours. Drinking on the deck. Watching baseball in the winter and college basketball in the summer. Drinking then too.

You start going out after you put her to bed. The first time you do it, you worry about her getting up and walking around while you're gone. You put a chair in front of the bedroom door. You go to the same bar at the boring end of town. It's nice there. Over time, you tell Zhalia, the bartender, everything. It's a huge weight off. You're home and in bed by 1 am a couple nights a week. You look forward to those nights.

One night, you're stopped at a DUI checkpoint. You blow a .10 and are taken to jail for the night. You consider trying to hide it, but you tell your sister-in-law, Cathy. Scarlet's parents take the next plane from Ireland. They can't believe the state your house is in. Then they tell you Scarlet is coming to live with them. You don't argue. You say you'll visit soon. A few weeks go by. Summer is coming and you see an ad in the paper for a job.

You take it.

Third Person End


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1

Hello, Two Forks Tower

Montehue's POV

Pushing aside some overgrowth branches, I saw the Two Forks lookout tower with the full moon peeking out from behind. I walked to the lookout tower and went up the weather worn, wooden stairs. I stopped at the third flight to look at Thorofare lookout tower. The moon was over Thorofare now, still glowing softly. I turned back to the last flight of stairs and made to deck of the tower. The mountains and trees were dark silhouettes. I made my way to the door, fully intent on sleeping, when my feet decided to walk around the deck. The windows were boarded up so I couldn't see inside my new home. I was led to the propane tank fueling my tower.

I walked back to the door and went inside. It was very dark except the glowing red light of the generator switch. I flipped it and it was a few seconds before the lights came on. The bed was across from the door and next to a small cupboard.

"Hello, Two Forks Tower!" A shy and shaky male voice announced. Tersly, was it?

I walked around the small room, pausing at the bookshelf to look at the book, "Two Forks Tower, this Thorofare Tower. Come in," I put the book down, "I-I know you're there. Your lights are on."

I made my way to the desk where the radio was and picked it up in the wrong hand at first then swapped to my left, "Um, hello? Whoever this is?"

"It's Montehue, right?" He asked.

"Yeah." I replied.

"I'm Tersly." He introduced himself.

"Yeah, that's what the guy said on the phone." I reminded him.

"So, why'd you come here?" He asked curiously.

"Excuse me?" I asked.

"People take this job to get away from something. So, why'd you come?" He repeated.

" _Why'd_ you come here?" I shot back.

"That's a great idea. Go ahead." He encouraged.

"Look, I just hiked for two days so I don't really follow whatever it is you're doing right now." I told him.

"You take a stab at why I came here." He explained.

"Fine, then can I go to sleep…? Forever?" I said, exhausted.

"Sure. Now, go ahead." He laughed.

"Ok. You're probably out here because nobody back home can stand you. Which, after this brief introduction, isn't a big shock." I walked back to my bed.

"Ouch! I'll chalk that up to you being tired and grumpy." He winced.

"Well, I'd better get some sleep then." I told him.

"One sec! Now, it's my turn." He said quickly.

"Ok. Good night. Bye." I hoped he would take the hint. He means well, but good god, am I tired.

"Let's see… I don't know anything about you. Maybe you just really like trees. Maybe it's, gosh, like a borderline obsession. A tree obsession." He concluded.

"Good night." I said firmly.

"Good night. Welcome to the job." He hung up and let me go to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2

First Day on the Job

Day 1

I was sitting at my desk, writing in my journal, when Tersly called, "Good morning, Montehue. Well, I guess 'good afternoon.' You probably slept like a rock. Anyway, there's still a few hours of daylight left to get some work in. I can see you at your desk, so call me when you're ready."

 _That's a little creepy._ I thought as I picked up the radio, "Hey, sorry. Guess I slept in."

"You got a relaxing, what, fourteen hours of sleep? Whew!" He exclaimed.

"Yeah, Jesus. I guess it's, what, six?" I went to the coffee percolator and picked it up.

"6:45." He corrected.

"Whoops." I said.

"Don't worry about it. That hike puts everyone out of commission for a day or two. But now that you're up, let me quickly get you acquainted with the job. There's a thing in the middle of your room with a round map on it. Do you see it?" He asked.

I turned and walked to it, "Okay, yeah. I see it."

"This is the Osborne Fire Finder, invented in 1914 by W.B…" He paused expectantly.

"…Osborne?" I asked.

"You use this to spot, you guessed it, fi- what the fuck?" He swore.

"What is it?" I reflexively asked.

"Nothing. Um, you use this to- oh, fuck me, this is bad!" He exclaimed.

"Good god, language." I muttered.

"Out your west facing window, are you seeing what I'm seeing?" He directed, "Are those fucking fireworks?!"

I found the west facing window after a quick scan and walked toward it. A white explosion hit the sky and faded to smoke, "Whoa! That's not legal, right?"

"Uh, no! You need to get down there right now and stop them. Fire danger is through the roof." He said.

"Is that really my job?" I hesitated.

"Your job is whatever I say it is. The closet ranger is, like, two days away. Go down there and set 'em straight." Tersly said without room to object.

"Like kick the shit out of them sorta straight?" I wondered.

"No, no, no, no, no! Jesus, no." He was quick to tell me.

"What? I'm not a cop. It's not like I've got a rulebook over here!" I said.

"Just make sure they don't do it again. Take their stuff." He calmed down enough to instruct me properly.

"Alright, fine." I headed out the door and took my backpack.

"Don't hit anyone," He requested, "Get going. You'll probably need a rope to get down the shale between you and the lake if I remember right. There should be one in the supply box on the way. The code is '1-2-3-4.' It's actually that for all of them."

"Smart." I sassed.

"Shut up." I walked down the stairs and looked at my map.

I ended up following the sign that said Jonesy Lake. The grass was tinted orange and the setting sun cast magnificent shadows on the ground. The beaten dirt path winded through the forest and through its cool shadows. I hopped over a log and continued on my way. A little past the log, I veered off the path and saw a bright yellow box with a red symbol.

I went to it and radioed Tersly, "I found the supply box."

"Great." He replied.

I opened the lock and tossed it on the ground then I opened the box. I copied the information on the map taped on the lid. There was a note on it also, but I didn't bother with it. I took the rope, it looked old, and put it in my bag. Curiously, I picked up the pink wrapped nutrition bar and ate it. It was stale. I locked the box again and went to the new path on the other side of the box, taking the closet path.

There were a few stubby bushes lining the path, but they were gone before I could get used to them. I ran down the path and turned left onto another path. I ran until I passed a clawed up tree and slowed down to look at it.

"Hey, there's a tree out here that's been ripped to hell." I said, circling it.

"And…?" Tersly asked.

"Are there bears out here or something?" I frowned.

"Yes, five hundred pound grizzlies to be exact. They sharpen their claws on trees." He told me.

I walked on from the tree and found the rope hook to the shale. Then I threw the rope and started rappelling down. My rope snapped mid-way down and I fell.

"No, no, noooo!" I yelled before I hit the ground hard, "Oof."

I got up after a minute and picked up my radio. I took a few steps. I was just sore, "Ugh, hey."

"What's wrong?" Tersly asked, concerned.

"My rope snapped coming down the shale slide." I told him.

"You didn't break anything, did you?" He asked next.

"No, I think I'll make it." I reassured.

"Well, be careful." He accepted my response.

I found the next tie off point and called in, "Hey, I think there's a tie off point here, just a little way from the shale slide."

"You're ready to get on that horse, huh?" He asked.

"Well, I can't go any further is what I'm saying." I looked down the rocky slide.

"That heads south down to the creek, but you should be able to get to the lake by continuing west. Without any, y'know, mountaineering." I moved on and continued on the path.

"Alright." I said.

"It's a long summer. You can explore later." He reassured me.

I found a pretty little meadow, made extra breath taking from the setting sun, "It is a hell of a nice camping spot down here by the lake."

"I haven't been down there in years, but yeah, the Jonesy Lake area is perfect." He said as I came upon some beer cans.

I started picking them up then tossing one away, "You know, fuck it. I'm not the maid." Then felt guilty and picked it up. I walked on and saw a couple of backpacks, "They left a pair of backpacks tied up here." I reported.

"The idiots down at the lake?" He asked.

"Yeah, them. I just found where they're hanging out." I turned and walked to see if there were more beer cans. And found both a campfire and more empty cans, "Oh, look, they decided to have a campfire too."

"You know, they color coded the fire danger signs in case people were illiterate, but I guess that doesn't account for just plain stupid, does it?" He was very frustrated.

"Finding a bunch of empty beer cans. They threw them all over hell." I picked these ones up too.

"Are you fucking serious?" He asked rhetorically.

"Yeah, sure am." I got a can off a rock and… there was a bundle of fireworks next to it.

"I would like to retract my statement about hitting someone. Punch away." He told me.

I put the fireworks away after I found a bottle of whiskey, "Oh, shit. Ferriter Irish. They left half a bottle of whiskey. Decent stuff."

"Drunk pyromaniacs. Great." He groaned.

I palmed the whiskey and stomped out the campfire. Walking past the now cleaned camp site, I came across clothes. Women's clothes and another pair, "They left their clothes out to dry. Looks like two people. Uhhh, what if they're naked?"

"Look, they're obviously still there so tell them off and then head on back." He said.

I started toward the lake and found a bra on a log above the path, "I found a bra."

"A nude pyromaniac. Remain professional." He said curtly.

Ducking past the bra, I only got a few steps before stumbling upon translucent, pink panties, "Uh, there are p-panties…"

"There are what?" He asked, disbelieving.

"I don't want to say that word again." I told him.

I walked and got further than last time without seeing anything through the shady grove of trees. Until I found another pair of panties and a bra, "There's uh… oof."

"Yes?" He wondered.

"There are two naked ladies out here." I said, still staring at the undergarments for some reason.

"Can you handle that?" He asked genuinely.

"Of course, come on. I like naked ladies same as anyone. But there's, you know-" I frowned.

"Two?" He supplied.

"Yeah!" I said.

"I know this will be tough for you, but try to remain professional." He reminded me again.

"Okay…" I frowned, unhappy _I_ had to deal with this.

I turned the corner and found the lake and the girls, "I found them in the lake."

"Skinny dipping." He told me.

"Yeah." I confirmed.

"Is that a guy over there?!" One of the girls yelled drunkenly.

"Oh boy. I'm glad I'm not dealing with that." Tersly sighed.

"Thanks, Tersly." I deadpanned.

I went to the rock with one of their smartphone and speaker and picked it up, "COOL SOUND SYSTEM!"

"Whoa! HEY! PUT THAT DOWN! Seriously! It was expensive." The owner shouted.

"Fucking COOL IT with the fireworks!" I told them.

"PLEASE, JUST PUT IT DOWN! We won't light anymore!" She promised.

"Ugh, this guy's creepy, Sophie!" The other girl said.

"Ha! You probably have a tiny dick!" She laughed. Why do people always insult me this way?

"Sophie!" The other girl chided.

"It's my speaker!" She retorted.

"Can we go? Let's just swim to the other side of the lake or something." She asked Sophie.

"Eww, totally." She agreed.

"You're GROSS!" The girl that wanted to leave told me.

"You're just some sad man out in the woods!" Sophie yelled. Ok, that one hurt.

I watched as they left. I put the girl's speaker down and then Tersly called.

"Hey, did that go ok?" He asked.

"It went fine. Hopefully, there won't be any more trouble." I said.

"Good, thanks for going down there." He smiled.

I started going back the way I came. It was getting darker now, but the sun was still setting. Everything was an amber color, "Hey, I'm back near that big rock outcropping but not sure how to get back."

"I'd head west back toward the lake and then turn north towards the canyon." He said. Great.

I turned back and then walked a little ways before walking in circle and finding a hidden path in the meadow. I walked and found a raccoon, "Umm, there's a critter out here. A raccoon."

"I can't understand you." He whispered back.

"Because I'm whispering…" I told him.

Because you're whispering." He hung up. The raccoon was doing something and I went to get closer to it.

"PAIRS, PARES, PEARS!" He shouted suddenly and scared the raccoon, "YES!" Wow, that little guy could really jump.

"Is this some sort of code I missed? Are we evacuating or something?" I worried.

"Oh, no." He laughed nervously.

"Then what then?" I snapped irritably.

"I-I'm doing a crossword and I fig-figured out the theme. It's homonyms. Pairs, pares, pears. The clue was… a couple peeling fruit. Anyway, hope you're having a good afternoon." He said.

"Thanks?" I asked.

I climbed over a few rocks and I was back in the meadow. I wasn't to go there at all. I went back to the lake and found a trail pointing back to Two Forks Tower near the edge of the lake shore. I walked over a fallen log and followed the creek until I saw a trial leading up. I took the trail leading up. I saw a rope hook when Tersly asked me something.

"I take it you fell prey to the Forest Services' big recruiting effort? When it comes to how the hell you ended up out here." He waited for me to answer.

"Actually, I went looking for the job. I just wanted to get out of town for a while." I half lied.

"Well, you've come to the right place." He said.

I was close to a creek again and found a supply cache. I opened it and copied off the map and looked at the books.

Then I saw a strange sweatshirt, "I found a sweatshirt from the University of Eastern Colorado."

"There's a University of Eastern Colorado?" He asked.

"I really don't think there is." I frowned.

"Why would somebody make that up?" Tersly asked me.

"Right, and put that on a sweatshirt." I said.

"The world is a weird place." He shrugged.

I followed the creek to the lake, "Well, this lake does seem like a good spot to swim. Even if the last people to do so were assholes."

"Yeah, right now though, it's all snowmelt so you'll freeze. But as hot as it is, maybe that's a fair trade." He informed me.

"It's starting to feel like it." I said honestly.

I started walking back into the wooded area and past the rope hook. I went down the other side of the path and got the canyon. I was following a creek again.

"So… I have a bit of a confession to make." Tersly told me.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Um… Look, I was bit tipsy when I welcomed you to the job last night." He said shyly.

"Yeah, well, you're not the first boss to be guilty of that." I told him.

"I know. I just… I know I can get pushy, putting you on the spot about why you're out here and stuff." He admitted.

"It's fine." I navigated through the canyon.

"I'll… keep that sort of stuff to a minimum. Anyway, let me know when you get back to your lookout." He cheered up.

I followed the narrowing creek through a tight spot and heard some thunder, "Hey, I heard some thunder."

"Yeah, I got my eyes on a storm out to the north." Tersly trailed off a tiny bit.

"That's bad, right? Because of the lighting?" I asked.

"It just means we'll be busy. Hurry home. And try not to get hit by lighting." He requested.

"I got hit by lighting when I was nine years old, so I'm safe. It's not going to strike twice and all that." I said.

"Well, there was this old lookout name Simon Judeau who got hit by lighting seven times." The shy man told me.

"I don't like the sound of that." I frowned, finding a supply box and went through it, getting a flashlight, and copying the stuff off the map inside, "There's a horn or an antler or whatever."

"Well, antlers are made of bone and horns are made of the same stuff as your fingernails." Tersly explained.

"I guess this is a bone." I said.

"Antler. A ranger must have found it in the spring." He guessed.

I left the antler in the box and found a cave, "What's in this cave down here?"

"In Thunder Canyon?" He asked.

"THUNDER Canyon?" I repeated.

"Hey, I didn't name it," He told me seriously, "But in the cave? I don't know, rocks. NFS tells people not to go too far in there. It's pretty dangerous."

"So…" I waited.

"So, I say you're a grown man and a lookout. You can go wherever you want." He said and I walked into the cave. It was cooler than walking around outside.

"Great. I used to go caving with someone back home. She loved it. Might be a great place to explore sometime this summer." I had to use my flashlight now.

"That could be fun. Obviously, be VERY careful." He warned.

"It doesn't seem that danger-whooooooaaaa! Ahh, no!" I yelled, perfectly safe near the gated off area.

"MONTEHUE!" Tersly shouted.

"Seriously, it's completely fine in here." I told him.

"Goddammit!" He disapproved.

"Helloooooo!" I yelled into the cave, "This cave is gated off."

"It's to stop spelunkers form dying without getting the keys from the Forest Service office first." He told me.

"Makes sense." I said.

"Although, Guggenheim says he lost them like three years ago so maybe its mysteries are locked away for good." He had given up finding them.

"Aw, damn." I frowned.

"Yeah, but maybe you can find another one to get your caving kicks in." He sympathized.

"This one's so close to home and convenient though." I pouted, climbing up the opening I found.

"Aw, sorry Monty." Tersly said as I made to the top of the opening. It led to a path. The sky was light purple and the stars were shining. A large cloud was coming my way.

I followed the path and had to climb over a large rock. After I got up, I saw a strange man. He shined his light in my face. I squinted.

"There's some guy out here giving me the creeps." I reported.

"The creeps?" Tersly repeated, "He's looking at you? Is he doing anything else?"

"I… I don't think so?" The man disappeared into the trees.

"Montehue, there's something I… something someone should've told you about this area." He started.

"What is it…?" I asked.

"It's a park." He said somberly.

"Come on." I groaned.

"The whole thing. And people come and go as they please. It's… it's madness!" He was enjoying this.

"Yeah yeah, ok. I get it." I said snappishly.

"Look, bumping into someone in the middle of nowhere is part of the job." He consoled.

I climbed over another rock, there seemed to be a lot of path altering rocks, and I had to jump across a broken bridge. Going up the hill, I took the path on the left and found a rock I had to climb over again. I scaled an outcropping of rocks then went onward. I had to climb two more times before I got to a normal looking path. Walking at a slower than normal pace, I encountered another vertical obstacle. I hoped it was the last. It was not. Finally, I made it to the top and accidentally knocked over a sign by leaning on it. And fell with it.

"Well… that trail isn't "closed" anymore." I reported after I got up.

"Oh, really?" Tersly asked, slightly amused.

"Yeah, I took care of the blocked path. It was back-breaking, but you know, anything for the service." I walked further in.

"Well thank you." He said.

"Any time." I replied.

I came across an outhouse with a wooden sign leaning on it. I turned it around. It was Forrest Byrnes!

"Gah!" I tilted his soulless, yellow face up, but his black eyes followed me, "Y'know, I don't think there's a fictional character I hate more than Forrest Byrnes." I told Tersly.

"MONTEHUE. As an employee of the Forest Service, that is treason!" He said, faking shock.

"Well, he freaked me out as a kid." I tossed Forrest back where I found him.

"He inspired me to spend the bulk of my thirties keeping the wilderness safe." He told an anecdote.

"A shrink would have a field day with you." I said bluntly.

"Thanks mom." He sighed.

"What kind of name is "Forrest Byrnes" anyway?" I asked.

"Well, that would be a pun, Montehue. A glorious pun." He rubbed in it. I knew I hated that character for more than one thing.

"I went to junior high with a guy named "Royal Butts."" I told him.

"ROYAL?" He questioned.

"Butts." I repeated.

"Hahaha! I didn't think anyone had been named "Royal" since the 1850's." He chuckled.

"Well, Royal's mom, Flo, was a bit of a trendsetter." I added.

"FLO BUTTS? Oh man, that's even worse!" He exclaimed.

"Well, it's still better than Forrest Byrnes." I said with a flat tone.

I saw the generator, "So this generator is all the power I've got out here?"

"Yep. It doesn't go through much gas and you don't have much in the way of electronics, so…" He let me put two and two together.

"What about my hair dryer?" I asked.

"Aww, I'm sorry. You might have to make peace with fizzy locks." He joked.

"I could never!" I picked up a baseball just next to the outhouse and tossed it in the air and caught it a couple times before it got away.

"Uh, it's just the outhouse, then, in terms of going to the bathroom?" I asked.

"You get used to it." He half sighed.

I was heading back to my tower when I decided to turn around and look out at Thorofare, "Hey, you keep your lights on at night?"

"I'm doing a crossword puzzle. I… do lots of crossword puzzles." He explained.

I got to the first flight of stairs when I found my journal on the ground, "Uh…"

"What can I do for you?" Tersly asked.

"Well, my journal is on the ground. Outside my tower." I looked up.

"You write?" He couldn't contain his curiosity.

"Yeah-look… uh, the wind? No. How the hell…" I stopped.

"You should get inside." He told me.

"Fuck me." I groaned.

I walked up the stairs and found that one of the windows was broken, "Someone broke in."

"They what?" He asked.

I walked the already opened door, "They just, they wrecked the place. Threw my journal out the window… MOTHERFUCKER."

"Holy shit. I'll let the Forest Service know what happened." The shy man promised, "Ok, I put in a call."

"That was fast." I noted.

"Yeah, well. Do you have any idea who could've done this?" He asked gently.

"Maybe that guy I saw out in the canyon… but I don't know why the fuck he'd want to mess with my stuff." I thought.

"Well, I'll have the rangers keep an eye out for a man hiking out on his own and question him if they find him," He reasoned, "I can't believe someone would do this… I worry about bears and fires and that's about it and now I've got to worry about deranged hiker going after lookouts? Great." He moaned, "Ok, in the morning, I'll call my friend Cherit who works the desk down in Cody. They keep a list of everyone who's officially been in and out of the trailhead since, well forever, and see if we can get a list of names. We won't get much but at least if anything else happens we can refer to it and see if anything comes up."

"Thanks." I said.

"I need you to feel safe out here." He said, regretful he had to say that.

"Just point me to the Forest Service weapon cache and I'll feel safer than the Pope in his little car." I exaggerated.

"Yeah, uh, someone made the choice years ago that leaving people with infinite amounts of alone time and a gun was kind of a bad idea." Tersly pointed out.

"Grenades?" I compromised.

"I'll see what I can do." He told me.

I went to bed as best I could after that. They stole my bed sheets. It was not my day.


End file.
